When the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, millions of people around the United States make a promise — a resolution — to be better than before.
Maybe they will start a gym membership. Maybe they will cut the carbs. Maybe they will go to bed before midnight. Whatever their goals, New Year’s Day is the perfect chance to start a new chapter in life.
That said, the success of these resolutions varies wildly from person to person — and from year to year.
A study commissioned by Planet Fitness reported that, on average, it only takes 41 days for Americans to give up their New Year’s resolutions — and that ominous deadline is rapidly approaching.
While people may have the best intentions on Jan. 1 — to be healthier, happier and more productive — sometimes, life just gets in the way. Going to the gym takes time and energy. Eating fast food is cheaper and more convenient than cooking at home. Tasks pile up and sleeping becomes another task added to an impossibly long to-do list.
The question then is, how do we maintain our resolve and keep the goals we set for ourselves?
First and foremost, keeping goals reasonable and well-defined makes staying the course and building healthy habits easier.
Let me start with my own New Year’s Resolution.
My main goal this year is to get organized with a planner, assignment spreadsheet and Google calendar. Sure, it’s ambitious, but my lifestyle simply can’t handle any more disorganization. With a packed schedule and a desire to accomplish too many things, I can’t just float through my day hoping I have remembered everything.
I chose a planner with some bells and whistles, forcing me to look at it often, but not so many that it takes away from its original purpose of helping me. My planner includes a daily journal I do when I wake up, a daily task list and an extensive notes section in the back that I’ve converted into a reading log.
Which brings me to my second point: believing in and enjoying your goals is crucial to reaching them.
I love to read, but have always resented myself for not doing it more; so I carved out 25 minutes of reading time before bed in the hopes of finishing at least 25 books in 2025.
Catchy, I know.
This can apply to other lifestyle goals as well. If someone doesn’t truly believe in the value of eating healthier or going to the gym more, they probably aren’t going to be as successful at changing their habits. It doesn’t matter if society dictates that a certain goal would be “better” for someone in the long run, the desire to change must reflect intrinsic motivation.
That said, keeping friends and loved ones in the loop can be helpful. I’ve been telling everyone I know about my reading log, and I downloaded Goodreads to keep me on track.
Sometimes, having the external pressure of an ultimatum is also beneficial. Weinberg second-year Arya Prachand set a goal to not complain, or at the very least, to hold herself accountable when she does.
To enforce this, Prachand said her roommate and some friends get to take her phone and call people — such as ex-situationships — if she slips up.
“I don’t know why I agreed to that,” she said. “But I did, and so I have been very good about upholding my end of the bargain.”
Prachand said she hopes her fear of these phone calls will turn her positive attitude into a consistent habit with time.
Despite the chilly weather and busyness of Winter Quarter, Prachand said she’s also prioritizing hanging out with friends and exploring Chicago. She said she was pretty stressed last quarter, so she’s making a conscious effort to have fun now.
“The only thing preventing me from not doing anything that I want is me,” she said. “The world is my oyster, I just have to take advantage of it.”
For many, New Year’s Day is an opportunity to start something new, and even though the day itself might be a bit arbitrary, the effects of making resolutions and sticking with them, with a proper plan in place, can be life-changing.
